Winning Her Heart In 7 Days
by BRANCCH
Summary: NERV is organising a week long cruise trip. Can Shinji make full use of it to win his lady's heart? SR
1. Prelude

Disclaimer 

I do not own Evangelion or any other stuff that may crop up in this story. This is fan fiction; and fanfic authors never own anything… (Except maybe a computer)

This is a Rei and Shinji centric story since I'm a R/S fan. Sorry Asuka fans but I'm sure there are many other authors out there that can satisfy your cravings.

And like many fanfics out there, it is set in the aftermath of EOE (Boring? Yes but it allows for more development…I think)

So without further ado, I present to you

**Winning Her Heart In 7 Days**

Prelude

Third Impact never occurred.

Yes, the ultimate goal of the organisation that controlled the world for centuries had been thwarted. All thanks to an undercover triple agent called Ryoji Kaji.

After faking his own death, Kaji presented his considerable findings to the UN, who were increasingly unhappy with SEELE's scenario of "helping" mankind evolve to a perfect state. They agreed to go against their 'Masters'.

With that done, all that NERV and Misato had to do was stop the completed MP EVA series, the invading SEELE forces and Gendo Ikari's madness to prevent another worldwide catastrophe. It was a task easier said than done.

However, Shinji and Asuka's mastery of their Evangelions made short work of the MP EVAs while Misato personally went to incapacitate Gendo Ikari before he could do anything destructive. Overall, the bravery of NERV's personnel saw them through.

Now was a time for celebration.

* * *

NERV Banquet

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen, to the commemoration dinner for the brave people of NERV!" the emcee announced to the 1500 guests invited.

Applause.

"We, the members of the public, would like to give our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for your contributions during the Angel Wars as well as the Geofront Incident. (The name for the events that took place during EOE)

"Now I would like to invite acting NERV commander Misato Katsuragi to give us a few words."

A thunderous applause could be heard as the ravishing purple-haired woman walked towards the stage.

"Thank you. Thank you." Misato said, waiting for the applause to die down. "Firstly, I would like to say it is my honour to work with such wonderful and brave people such as yourselves."

"Third Impact was averted not only by a few but by our collective efforts. Therefore, I would propose a toast to us!" Misato said, drawing out loud cheers from the crowd. A few hot-blooded males even hooted when they saw Misato finish her glass in one gulp.

"On a more solemn note, I would want to take this time to remember those who gave their lives on that fateful day." Misato continued after finishing her first toast. "This toast is for them."

The 1500 strong crowd was silenced immediately. Suppressed memories of their fallen comrades inundated their minds once again. Some remembered how their friends had died in order to save them. Others recalled how their colleagues were brutally slaughtered by SEELE forces. They drained their glasses in silence.

Misato allowed them a moment for remembrance before she spoke again.

"Now, I have several important announcements to make. Firstly, NERV will no longer exist to fight Angels since there are no Angels left to fight." She said to a crowd that was still recovering from their recollections.

"However, I am glad to say that we are reassigned to be the science hub of the region since we have the most sophisticated and volatile equipment in the world."

The crowd however, was resolutely silent. Misato knew how they felt and therefore chose this moment to give them a piece of good news.

"Don't worry, you will all keep your posts _and _your current pay checks." She said, hoping to cheer them up a little.

"Also, before we get on with our new jobs, I have taken the liberty to organise a one week cruise trip for some rest and relaxation. Call this a company retreat or whatever you want but all NERV personnel are invited." She finished off.

This of course was greeted with a hearty applause.

* * *

Shinji was quietly sitting at the VIP table during the banquet. Even though he was the hero of most of the battles, the timid boy never wanted much attention, except maybe his father's. Now it seemed he would never be able to get even that, as Gendo was jailed for life due to "crimes against humanity" 

Shinji sighed as he looked over at the girl opposite him. Unlike him, Asuka was revelling at the attention lavished upon her. "_At least one of us is happy,"_ he thought.

Seeing Asuka's excited demeanour, Shinji could not help but think of the one absent. Although he tried inviting her to the banquet over and over again, Rei refused him point blank.

"Why was she so adamant about not coming?" he said to himself.

Unfortunately, Asuka overheard this.

"Who is she?" she snapped. "Don't mumble."

"I wasn't talking to you." Shinji retorted without thinking.

"What?"

"Um… I meant that I was just speaking my thoughts, no one was meant to hear it," he said in his defence.

"Well now I heard it, so spit it out!" Asuka demanded.

"…"

"I'll count to three and then I'll call Misato."

"…"

"1"

"2"

"Ok, ok, I was wondering why Rei insisted so strongly about not coming." Shinji finally conceded.

"Feh. Who cares about the Wonderdoll? It was her who almost caused Third Impact remember?" Asuka said with a dismissing tone.

Shinji was not one who would let a friend be insulted and take it lying down. "She was brainwashed by my father, I'm sure she didn't mean to do any of this."

"So someone is speaking up for the doll eh?" Asuka countered. "Is the Commander's son trying to protect his doll?"

Shinji's face contorted at that remark. "You take that back."

"Ok, ok, I was just kidding… no need to get angry." Asuka said airily. "But seriously, are you doing this because you like her?"

"No!" The timid boy said hurriedly.

"Hah you're blushing."

"No I'm not! I am doing this because she's my friend!" Shinji said hotly.

"Fine, so be it." Asuka said finally. "You are so boring."

Silence then passed between the two. It was an awkward, sustained and strained moment, as if they both wanted to say something but thought better of it. Asuka was swirling the wine in her glass while Shinji just looked at the stage as Misato gave her speech.

Finally, Asuka could not take the atmosphere anymore and went in search for Kaji saying, "At least he's not a boring twit like you!"

Shinji said nothing as he glanced at the departing fiery redhead._ "Silence was comfortable with Rei."_ He mused.

Then, he heard Misato's announcement about the cruise trip. A spark of hope rekindled in his heart.

"_Maybe I could ask Rei to come for this cruise. She is a NERV employee after all."_ He thought.

Although he kept saying that he did not like Rei, it seemed that Shinji had unconsciously fallen for her a long time ago.

"_Yes, she could not refuse coming to the cruise trip."_ He thought happily.

The rest of the evening seemed to move in slow motion for Shinji; all he could think about was to get the information to Rei as soon as possible. Finally, during the dance segment of the dinner, Shinji decided to go to her house and ask her.

Asuka saw him standing up as soon as the lights dimmed for the dance. "Wow baka, I didn't know you were the dancing type."

"I'm not. I'm going home." He replied and left.

* * *

Apartment 402

Shinji looked at the door tentatively, subconsciously reminding himself not to look at Rei unless he was absolutely sure she was dressed. Knowing that the doorbell was still spoilt, he knocked on the door.

"Rei? Are you home? Its me Shinji." He said.

Nothing.

"I have something I want to ask you, please open the door."

Then, he heard a loud thud from the room. Ignoring all social niceties, he opened the door and rushed in only to see Rei lying in a pool of blood, her wrists slashed.

"REI!" he shouted as he rushed to her aid. "What are you doing?"

All he got was a blank look from the girl, although her face was considerably paler than before.

"What am I going to do?" Shinji asked no one in particular. "Why did you have to kill yourself?"

Rei, despite suffering from loss of blood, was not trained to ignore direct questions. Therefore, she drew a shuddering breath and spoke.

"Third Impact has failed. There is no more reason for my continued existence." The albino said in rasping breaths.

"Don't say that silly! Lie down while I apply pressure on the wound." Shinji said in a panic.

Rei did as she was told. However, something was nagging at the back of her head.

"Why did you come?"

Shinji looked at her incredulously. "Don't speak, you'll need all the energy you have if you are to survive the night."

"Why did you come?" She said again.

Shinji sighed. "There is this cruise trip that NERV is organising. I wanted to ask you to go."

Seemingly satisfied with the answer, Rei said nothing and lay down on the floor again.

Shinji looked at her and gave another sigh. _"What did you do to her dad?"_

The paramedics arrived shortly afterwards.

* * *

Tokyo-3 Municipal Hospital

Misato and the two former EVA pilots were waiting outside the ward. One of the pilots was pacing back and forth; anxiously peering at the door in the hope of any news while the other however, just sat and played a Gameboy.

"Lighten up already, you can't help by walking up and down. If anything, you'll use up the extra oxygen she needs to make a recovery." Asuka told the boy.

Shinji stopped pacing. "I'm just nervous… and stop bullshitting me Asuka." The boy replied, although he did go to sit down just in case.

"Seems someone is _really_ concerned for the girl eh?" Misato observed. Shinji's behaviour is actually quite readable once she got used to him.

"Nn..nn..oo" Shinji stammered. "We're just very good friends…"

"A good friend that ignores you most of the time." Asuka countered.

"Face it Shinji, you are in love with her, although I cannot for the life of me, understand why." Misato continued.

"…"

"Hey don't you go silent on me now!"

"I think she is very…unique. She is gentle and quiet and beautiful as well." Shinji finally confessed.

The two females looked at him in total disbelief. Did Shinji just admit his feelings? He must like Rei a lot.

"So when are you gonna tell her?" Misato asked hesitantly.

"I know! How about telling her during the cruise?" Asuka offered.

"I… I… She'll never agree…" Shinji said sadly.

"Come on, with me and Misato helping you, she'll definitely agree; although whether she'll fall for you is entirely dependent on you." Asuka continued.

Shinji looked at the ward once again. "I guess there's no harm trying…"

"That's my boy." Misato said. "Now lets hope the doctor lets us in sooner rather than later."

After waiting another two hours, during which Asuka finally completed her Pokemon Gold Version on the Gameboy, the doctor finally exited the emergency ward.

"You may see the patient now but please do not do anything to over exert her." He said simply before walking away. Her unusual physical make up was freaking him out.

The three NERV employees nodded and entered.

Rei was lying on the bed wearing a plain light blue hospital garment. She had a lifeless look in her eyes as she scanned her visitors. Any other person would state that she was either rude or too distant. Shinji however, thought she looked beautiful.

"Hi Rei!" Misato said brightly.

"Major Katsuragi." Rei acknowledged her.

"Call me Misato. We're no longer fighting Angels you know." The purple haired woman replied.

Rei remained silent at that.

"Ayanami-san, um… we were wondering if um… you would like to go to the cruise trip…" he stuttered.

Unlike her previous reaction towards Misato, Rei looked at Shinji with an expression that almost resembled confusion. However, she still said nothing. Finally, Asuka could not stand their indecisiveness and said, "He likes you Wondergirl! Man, are you blind?"

Shinji blinked stupidly when he heard Asuka's statement. "I uh… um… yeah… uh… I what?"

"Just admit it Shinji! Stop being such a coward." She snapped. "Tell her that you like her."

"Oh my…" was all Misato managed to utter. _"This is going to be interesting!"_

Shinji stared at the women in the room desperately, hoping for some way to extricate himself from this predicament. "What the…" he looked at Rei, who was looking at him patiently. Finally he did the only thing he was good at, he ran away.

For a few seconds, the remaining three people in the ward just stared at the open doorway. Then, Asuka muttered under her breath, "Coward."

Misato seemed to agree with that as she nodded her head and motioned for Asuka to leave the ward.

"Take care Rei, we'll come visit again." She said.

As she turned to leave, the former Major heard Rei mutter something inaudible. Thinking she was in some sort of discomfort, Misato whirled around to see if she was ok. What she saw surprised her.

Rei was blushing slightly as she looked at the ground. "I…wish … to go to the cruise trip."

Misato looked at the girl and smiled. "I think Shinji would like to hear that."

**TO BE CONTINUED**

Ok this is my first serious fanfic. Personally, I feel this story is quite awkward. How do you guys feel? Do review and tell me if this is worth continuing.

Pre-read done by my classmates, Tjoe and Wenlin. Oh ya, my sis as well.


	2. That Night

Disclaimer

I do not own Evangelion or any other copyrighted material that may crop up in the story.

I'll cut the crap short this time and get right into the story. Do read the ending notes though.

So without further ado, I present to you

**Winning Her Heart In 7 Days**

That Night

Soft sobs could be heard from a room with a banner outside referring it as Shinji's Lovely Suite. The occupant inside however, buried his head under his pillow while the bugs of his SDAT player were jammed into his ears. A person standing next to him could have heard him quietly berating himself.

"Useless... Coward… Wimp..." He repeated over and over again.

He did not want to run away. Honestly. All he really wanted was to stay and tell her how much she meant to him. There was nothing he would rather do than stand by her side and confess his feelings for her. But the circumstances were not right.

"_Why did she have to say it out loud so soon?"_ he mentally blamed Asuka again.

The boy stopped sobbing long enough to curse the redhead once again. Then, he changed tracks on his SDAT and lay on his back. _"I've probably ruined the impression she has of me." _He thought sadly. _"Nah, as if she ever had any good impression of me in the first pace."_

That thought made him feel surprisingly bitter.

"_Its not my fault that Asuka chooses the wrong time and place to tell Rei."_ He argued with himself. _"The doctor said to not do anything to over exert her for goodness sake!" _

"_Rei will understand, right?" _

As he asked himself this question, he realised to his horror that he was not certain of the albino's response. _"Ah who cares? I'll just… never mention this again. Yes, that's right… no one will notice."_

It did not occur to him then that this was another form of running away, once again taking the easy way out. The boy was so used to doing it that it has almost become routine for him. He had almost lost all sense of shame when he was escaping reality. But a person can only run away for so long before everything catches up with him. This time, it was about to be Shinji's turn.

Therefore, as he muttered to himself in the solace of his bedroom, the main door of the apartment opened and his flatmates stepped in. The redhead looked around for signs of the boy while the older woman went to get a beer.

Seeing no signs of Shinji, the redhead threw her head back and bellowed, "Baka coward! Where the hell are you?"

Shinji was startled out of his self-loathing by that shrill voice. By experience, he knew that a sharp pain would shortly accompany that voice. He quickly took out the earpieces and pretended to be asleep thinking, _"Maybe if I ignore her, she'll go away."_

As stated before, he was not going to be able to run away this time.

Asuka flung the door wide open and stomped into his room. Every step she took rattling his bed to its very rivets. Placing her hand on his blanket, she ripped it away from him, leaving him feeling very exposed and vulnerable. Luckily for him, he was concentrating on hating himself and not fast asleep. Or his body's natural reactions would cause the pain he would be experiencing to be doubled. Finally, he realised that he was unable to run away from this encounter.

"What the hell you want?" he asked irritably.

"Oh nothing really…" Asuka said silkily. "Just for an explanation on WHY YOU RAN AWAY LIKE THAT!"

Shinji looked at her angrily and opened his mouth to speak. However, the redhead continued with her tirade.

"Why are you such a coward? Don't you give a damn on how Wondergirl might take it? I'm surprised that she even agreed to go to the cruise after such a cowardly display from you." Asuka said in one breath.

"Oh yeah? So what if I'm a coward? What abou… huh? Rei agreed to go?" he asked. Not daring to hope.

"Yes she agreed. But so what? You won't dare to do anything anyways." Asuka said huffily. "What's the point in exerting herself for a coward like you? She's still injured if you remember!"

The boy was too happy to care about her insults. "Rei's really going?" Then his face paled. "Oh shit! How am I going to apologise to her? Asuka, you have to help me!" he said desperately.

"Sort out your own mess Baka. I have better things to do."

Shinji was unfazed. "Then why did you tell me about it in the first place?" he said with a slight smirk.

For the first time in the conversation, Asuka seemed a little uncomfortable. "I uh… arrg Baka! Why do I even care?" she said with a pout.

Misato chose this time to enter the room, sparing the redhead further embarrassment.

"That's because she cares for you silly," Misato said in a motherly tone.

Ok, maybe not sparing her.

"I WHAT… ARRG!" Asuka stormed out of the room in rage.

"Hahaha, she's quite cute sometimes." Misato said as she watched Asuka leave. "But seriously Shinji, Asuka treats you like a brother. Don't disappoint her."

The boy looked at his guardian dumbly. "Huh?"

Misato sighed; the boy can be quite thick sometimes. "She wants you to be happy my dear. That's way she is trying to get you and Rei together." Seeing the stunned expression on Shinji's face, Misato carried on, "Hey, she _is_ a nice girl deep down inside you know."

Shinji laughed and replied. "Yes I know. _Very_ deep down inside." Regardless of what he said, the boy was glad nonetheless. _"Someone cares about me… maybe I'm not so worthless after all."_ He thought happily.

Having thought the conversation was over; Shinji motioned for Misato to leave. Misato however, stood her ground. "I think you are forgetting something." She said simply.

For the second time that night, the boy looked dumbly at her.

_"For cancer, there is a cure; but stupidity? Shinji's got a terminal case."_ The lavender haired women thought. But out loud, she said, "You haven't apologised to her. You want her to bear a grudge?" 

"Good point, I don't." Shinji said simply.

The boy then exited his Lovely Suite and cautiously approached the volatile German in the living room. Clearing his throat, Shinji said nervously, "Eh hi Asuka. Um, I'm sorry about just now. Don't get too angry eh?"

He winced involuntarily when Asuka turned around and considered him. "Shinji Ikari." She said menacingly. "You have a lot of guts, laughing at me just now."

The poor boy was sweating buckets now. "No I wasn't! It was just that Misato looked funny…" he trailed off. It would not do well for his guardian to hear that comment.

Asuka looked at him queerly and leaned towards him, her hands twitching uncontrollably. Shinji then closed his eyes and awaited the imminent pain that she would be dealing to him. However, when he heard the smacking sound, the boy was surprised to not feel any pain.

"_Maybe I have already become numb," _he thought hopefully. However, Asuka's raucous laughter brought him out of his daydream. She was slapping the sofa in mirth.

"You're right! Hahaha! That pinhead is wearing that see-through shirt again! I can see her poker-dotted bra underneath! Hahaha!" Asuka laughed happily.

"Oh ya… haha very funny." He said weakly, heaving a huge sigh of relief. "Um I have something to ask you Asuka…"

The girl stopped laughing long enough to reply, "Well, spit it out!"

"Well, about the cruise…" he flushed slightly. "WhatcanIdotowinAyanamiover?"

"Speak up Baka!"

Shinji looked even more embarrassed than before now. "Well, I uh… was wondering if it would be uh… ok… if you would uh… givemesometipstowooAyanami."

Asuka managed to catch the 'woo Ayanami' part.

"_What an idiot" _Asuka thought. _"He's a nice guy, but he's too damn shy."_

"Ok I'll tell you what. First, go get some balls. Next, work on that stutter of yours. Finally, _CONFESS_ to her how you feel." Asuka said dryly. She had wanted to tell him about Rei's reaction at the hospital as well but thought otherwise. _"I might be mistaken,"_ the girl reasoned.

Shinji looked at the redheaded German with an annoyed expression. "That's not really much of an advice is it?"

"Well, it works!" Asuka snapped. "Now you'd better go back to your room and think about how you're gonna make her enjoy your company."

Finding no better advice than that, Shinji heeded what she said and entered his room. _"Now to recall what Rei likes…"

* * *

_

Hospital Ward

Rei was unable to sleep. Try as she might, there was a voice inside her head that would not be silenced.

"_Pilot Ikari likes me."_

Emotions were not the blue haired albino's forte. Having spent the first seven years of her life in isolation, she had simply not learnt to feel. Or so she thought.

_"Do I like him?"_

Having asked herself this question, Rei's mind was involuntarily inundated by memories of the times they had spent together, memories that she held dear. She remember when he first piloted the Evangelion so that she would be spared from it; when he visited her house and fell on her by accident; when he opened the superheated hatch of her entry plug to rescue her. Unknown to herself, a small smile was etched upon her face as she recalled.

"_But most of them are not my memories."_

It was true. She was the Third clone. Most of the memories belonged to the Second.

"_I am Rei Ayanami, as much as she is Rei Ayanami. The memories belong to us."_

A small sigh escaped her lips, shocking her greatly.

_"Why do I feel so empty without his presence?"_

She tossed around in her bed, trying to find a logical answer to this illogical feeling. He was not a necessity that she needed to sustain life. Neither was he a part of her body that she would not be able to do without. Why then, was he eliciting such feelings from her?"

"_It must be because I am curious about him." _She thought finally. _"I am curious as to why he would like a person as unworthy as me."_

As she drew her conclusion, the girl felt sleep overtaking her tired body. However, another voice could be heard in the distance as she drifted off to sleep. _"Or maybe its because I like him as well…" _

Sadly, when she woke up the next day, she could not remember the last voice.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

Ahh, nothing like a little melodrama to spruce up the story a little. It must be noted though, that this is probably going to be as sad as it gets. I'm too much of a WAFFy person to let angst get in the way.

And in reply to Marine Brother, I would like to say that yes, I am a die-hard S/R fan. (Hope I don't sound like a prude by saying this - although I would have probably destroyed my credibility by now)

Lastly, please review! This writer always gets a warm fuzzy feeling when he sees his hotmail inbox containing e-mails from the bot informing him about having new reviews.


	3. Day 1

Disclaimer 

I do not own Evangelion, the Superstar Virgo or any other copyrighted material that may appear in this story. Please don't sue me. Heck! You guys should be THANKING me instead. I am advertising for you all you know?

Hehe, I hope nobody sues me for that statement. Even if they do, I'll just hide in some dark alley where I can ambush the captors. Oops, I'm rambling again…

So without further ado, I present to you

**Winning Her Heart In 7 Days**

The Cruise – Day 1

It was three days since Rei discharged from hospital. To her surprise, those three days were unbearably long. That was saying something as the blue haired albino was used to spending time alone. In fact, she was alone for most of her short life.

"_Its eleven o clock. The Major should be here any minute."_ Rei thought as she waited at the car park below her house. She flicked away a stray strand of hair from her eyes as she looked at the car park entrance for the umpteenth time. _"This is… unusual…I have never had a problem with waiting." _

Actually, she had been there waiting since ten. The dreary atmosphere at home finally affecting her, the albino decided to wait downstairs an hour earlier instead. Having nothing to do to occupy her as she waited, her thoughts inadvertently turned towards a certain timid brown haired boy.

"_Ikari-kun would be in the car as well."_ Rei thought unconsciously. _"Would he be sitting at the front or behind?" _

Of course, she hoped he would be sitting at the back. That would mean that they would be in closer proximity. Admittedly, one of the main reasons why the past three days seemed so long was because he kept appearing in her thoughts. Rei was especially worried when she remembered him running away when Asuka told her how he felt about her. What was most uncomfortable was that she began to doubt whether Shinji actually liked her or not. She needed to know the answer.

Finally, the screeching of tyres could be heard in the distance; as well as the curses of pedestrians that managed a close brush with death.

"_That must be the Major, her driving skills are infamous."_ The albino thought.

Thirty seconds later, a blue blur turned into the car park and came to a grinding halt just a few feet away from her. The windows of the car wound down to reveal an ecstatic Misato and two very carsick passengers.

"Hi Rei! Glad to see that you're all packed and ready." Misato said brightly.

Shinji however, noticed something amiss, even in his current state of queasiness. "But why are you wearing your school uniform Ayanami?"

"I do not posses any other form of clothing." Rei replied without any trace of emotion.

Hearing her cool dismissal of his question, Shinji could not help but feel disappointed. _"I think she's really angry with me," _he thought. The boy then meekly scooted to the other side to allow Rei into the car.

In an act of brilliance, Asuka recalled Rei saying once that she had no other clothes. Therefore, the redhead had actually packed extra for the albino. "Don't worry Baka, I have packed extra clothing for Rei for this trip."

Misato could not help but smile. "You see! Asuka's a really nice girl. I'm so proud of you Asuka!"

For once, Asuka actually blushed. "Gee, I know you guys worship the ground I stand upon but there's no need to suck up to me so early." Of course, she had to cover up her momentary uneasiness with more bravado.

"In your dreams." Shinji and Misato muttered.

"What did you say?" the redhead overheard them and demanded.

Rei on the other hand, did not pay much attention to the conversation. However, she did notice that Shinji was indeed sitting at the back. _"Its strange that just sitting next to Ikari-kun can make me feel nervous."_ She noted with mild surprise.

And so, the journey to the dock was a laughter-filled one. With the three flatmates doing most of the joking and quarrelling while Rei just sat and listened. Shinji absentmindedly noted that this was what a happy family should be like.

* * *

"Yo Shin-man how are you doing?" Touji asked the timid boy once he saw them at the check in counter. "You of course, are going to be in the same room as me right?" 

Being an EVA pilot as well, Touji was naturally invited to the cruise, albeit another reason why Misato invited him was actually so that Shinji would have some male company. She reasoned that Ryoji Kaji was not the best of role models.

Shinji looked over at the females he came with. "Am I?"

Misato and Asuka replied him with a resounding, "YES!"

Shinji shrugged his shoulders and followed Touji to their room.

"Man, Kensuke was so pissed when he heard he was not invited that he nearly severed all ties with me!" The jock tried to initiate conversation.

"Oh I see..." Shinji replied with not much enthusiasm.

Touji gave his friend a queer look. "You seem out of sorts once we left the girls… anything I should know about?"

That knocked Shinji back to his senses.

"Wha…what? Stop imagining things." Shinji countered weakly.

"Aha! I knew something is wrong. So who's it?" Touji demanded.

"Its Rei of course!"

Touji started. Shinji gave that answer so readily? He had thought he would have to grill the poor boy for at least an hour first. Then he saw a flash of red from behind him, quickly followed by streaks of blue and purple.

Asuka grabbed the heads of the two boys and knocked them together. "So its up to you to help him not make a fool of himself." She ordered Touji.

"Aa…Asuka… not so loud please." Shinji rubbed his head where it had connected with the jock's. He risked a glance at his crush and noted that she was flushing a little and looking at the floor. That gave the boy a little more confidence. _"Maybe I still have hope."_

"Here! Take this and put it in our room." Asuka said, handing the two boys their considerable luggage and the keycard to their room. However she also whispered to Shinji, "Use this chance to write a card to Rei or something."

The boy winked at her and muttered, "Thanks…sis… I owe you one."

The redhead gaped. "No…no problem…bro."

She quickly shuffled away after that, taking Misato and Rei with her.

Staring at the blushing redhead, Touji had to ask. "Wow, what did you say to subdue the demon?"

"I simply called her sis." Shinji replied. "Come on, we have a lot of unpacking to do."

The two boys then threw their own luggage into their room before doing the dreaded task of unpacking the luggage for the women. Actually, only Shinji dreaded it. Touji, being the hotheaded youth that he was, could not wait.

Shinji was staring dumbly at the luggage on the floor when he noticed Touji taking Rei's luggage carrier and was about to unzip it. Feeling a surge of jealousy, he gave the jock a push and snatched it away. "Here unpack this instead." He said and threw Asuka's luggage to his friend.

"Sheesh…" Touji exclaimed in disbelief.

The shyer of the two boys then started to unpack his crush's luggage, noticing with a tinge of sadness that it only contained a few items. Two sets of school uniform, a white long sleeved shirt, a white one-piece swimming costume and a few sets of undergarments were all that was inside the bag.

"_Its lucky that Asuka brought extra for her."_ Shinji mentally thanked his 'sister' again.

Then his attention refocused upon the swimming costume_. "Rei likes swimming… maybe I could spend more time with her if I learnt it as well." _Then he remembered they were in a cruise ship. _"But we are at sea, who can teach me swimming now?"_

He looked at the other boy who was having the time of his life arranging Misato's undergarments. "Can you teach me how to swim?"

Touji quickly dropped the laced bra and answered, "Yea…yea sure of course! Just don't tell Misato what I did."

Shinji laughed. "Deal!"

* * *

"Ok first, you have to learn how to float." Touji instructed his friend who was holding on to a floatation device. "Slowly let go of it and spread your arms and legs… that's it." 

Shinji was quite a fast learner. In a space of an hour, he was able to master the basics of the breaststroke.

"Hey Shin-man, you really like Ayanami don't you?" Touji asked when he was certain Shinji got the hang of being suspended in water.

Shinji choked when he heard that. "I don't really know… it is just that she has a kind of mysterious appeal to her. All I know is that I want to know her better."

The jock regarded him thoughtfully, "No offence, but isn't she like, cloned from your mum?"

"I know, i know… But everytimeI look at her, I just cannot help but feel attracted." Shinji said desperately. "It's as if she is a part of me that was ripped away a long time ago."

Touji smiled slightly. "I feel the same way with Hikari as well! But don't you think the _missing_ part of you is really cold and unfeeling?"

"She's not cold because she wants to." Shinji argued. "It was her upbringing… my da…Gendo Rokubungi brainwashed her." Mentioning his father made Shinji feel hot inside. "He deserves to be jailed for all the things he's done."

Touji wisely kept silent at that. The boy was always sensitive whenever his parents were mentioned. After a few more minutes of awkward silence, the more athletic boy decided he wanted a drink.

"Hey I'm gonna get a drink. You just swim a few practice laps around the pool ok?" the makeshift instructor asked his student.

"Ok."

This was the jock's most serious mistake of the day. No good instructor would ever leave a beginner unsupervised in the pool, not even one who has as much natural talent as Shinji. Therefore, almost as soon as he went away, Shinji decided that he would try swimming at the deep end of the pool. _"I mustn't run away anymore." _He thought.

In his defence, he initially managed quite well on his own. However, once he reached the middle of the pool, he decided to take a rest to catch his breath. Unfortunately, Touji forgot to teach him the skill of treading water as they were practicing at the shallow end. Therefore, when Shinji found out that his feet could not touch the bottom, he started to panic.

A panicked swimmer usually meant trouble.

"HELP!" Shinji screamed as he floundered, made splashing noises and started to sink like the Titanic. The irony of drowning _above_ sea level when he was offshore did not occur to him then as he struggled to keep afloat.

"And so he just pushed me away when I was about to help unpack Rei's luggage and he…OH SHIT!" Touji was retelling Shinji's weird behaviour to the three females that his current student had arrived with when he saw Shinji thrashing wildly.

"Ikari-kun!" Rei screamed as loud as she ever did and was about to jump in when Touji plunged into the pool and swam towards the struggling boy. He got hold of Shinji's shoulders and dragged him towards the edge of the pull. Finally with a mighty heave, he pulled his friend up to ground.

"Shinji! Shinji! You have to vomit out the water!" Touji desperately shook his friend.

Shinji just lay on the floor motionless.

Finally, Touji was left with no other choice but to administer cardio pulmonary resuscitation. He took a deep breath and bent down…

Three seconds before Touji's lips touched his friend's, Rei realised that something was not right. Shinji's first kiss should not be wasted in such a manner.

"No." She said simply and pushed the jock away, making it the second time that day that the poor boy was pushed to the floor.

Rei placed her lips onto Shinji's and exhaled strongly into his mouth. She then frantically applied pressure on his chest, checking his breathing every few seconds to see if her efforts were working. _"Ikari-kun you must not die! I still have so many unanswered questions!" _She thought desperately. _"You must come back… to me."_

Finally, Shinji's eyes opened and he gagged; throwing up the water he had swallowed. When the boy's vision refocused, he saw a heavenly sight.

"Ayanami…"

"Ikari-kun… I'm… glad." Rei said and did another unexpected thing. She smiled.

Applause could be heard in the background when the onlookers witnessed this heart- warming event. The two teens blushed when they realised the position they were in.

"Thank you Ayanami." Shinji said finally.

"Rei."

"Huh?"

"We are friends now. Is it not proper for you to call me Rei, Shinji-kun?"

That was more than the timid boy could ever wish for. He gave the pale albino a hug and said, "Thank you Rei, thank you."

The girl only blushed in reply.

For the rest of the day, everyone who saw Shinji could not help but notice the glassy look in his eyes. _"Rei kissed me, Rei kissed me, Rei kissed me." _

**TO BE CONTINUED**

Wow! It seemed the hedgehog only needed a day to win his lady's heart in the end. Maybe I should change the title to something else.

Stay tuned for more S/R fluff in the next chapter!

This chapter is pre-read by my sis.

Finally, please review!


	4. Day 2

Disclaimer 

I do not own Evangelion or any copyrighted material that may appear in this story.

Welcome back to the cruise. Hope you'll have an enjoyable time.

So without further ado, I present to you

**Winning Her Heart In 7 Days**

The Cruise – Day 2

"_Shinji-kun…" Rei said in a seductive voice. "There is something that I have wanted to tell you for a long time."_

"_What is it Rei-chan?" The boy asked in a suave voice._

"_I love you. I really do." The beautiful albino continued. "I loved you ever since I first set eyes upon you." _

_Shinji was astounded, albeit in a pleasant way. "Really Rei-chan?" _

"_Yes Koibito. I would never lie to the love of my life." _

_It took almost all of Shinji's determination to not scream out for joy. He then opted for a more debonair approach. "I love you too my beautiful. It seems we are a match made in heaven." _

_Now it was Rei's turn to look hesitant. _

"_Something wrong my love?" Shinji asked. _

_Rei chewed on her lip, making her look extremely cute to her love interest. "Become one with me Shinji-kun." Seeing the stunned look on his face, she decided to elaborate. "A relationship is never complete until consummation." _

_"Ok Rei-chan. I want our relationship to progress to the next level as well." Shinji replied tenderly and caressed her cheek._

_Then, in a moment that seemed like an eternity to the both of them, Rei hesitantly tiptoed and puckered her lips. Their faces slowly moved closer and closer until there were just mere centimetres separating them._

"_Rei-chan…" Shinji crooned and leaned forward to kiss her…_

"ARRRG WHAT THE HELL YOU DOING?" Touji screamed and hit Shinji across the head.

The shyer boy fell from the bed as the shock of being hit jolted him to the waking world.

"Fuck I thought you liked Rei?" The jock practically shouted at the room's other occupant while Shinji said at the same time, "What the hell you hit me for?"

"You… kissed me!" Touji said in despair, his face slowly reddening.

"I WHAT?" Shinji's face was starting to heat up as well.

"Don't make me repeat what I said…" The boy in a tracksuit replied menacingly.

"I was dreaming about Rei! Honestly!" Shinji tried to defend himself. "It was an accident I swear!"

Touji glared at Shinji angrily, making the former EVA pilot sweat buckets. "That's the last time I'll ever wake you up man." He stood up and straightened his tracksuit. "Sorry bout hitting you I guess." Touji then helped Shinji up.

"Yea, an alarm clock would do much better." Shinji agreed. "Asuka always said that I do weird things before waking up."

"I agree with the Devil on that count." Touji replied. Looking at clock, he noted with delight that it was eight thirty in the morning. "Hey go get washed. Its breakfast time!"

Shinji agreed with his friend and headed towards the bathroom. However what was going through his mind was, _"I wonder how Rei would react… she did get agitated when Touji almost administered the mouth-to-mouth after all." _

Knowing that Rei had a tendency to do unexpected things, he decided that it was for the best that she did not know of that little accident.

Meanwhile in the girls' room…

"Rei!" Asuka called out. "Don't just stare at the ceiling, you'll have to dress up if you want to impress the Baka."

Rei regarded her for a moment. "I think Shinji-kun finds me attractive just the way I am."

"Tsk, tsk. That line of thought is dangerous Rei." Asuka leaned forwards and whispered in hushed tones. "He may think you're attractive now, but what if another more beautiful girl turns up?"

"Shinji-kun is not like …"

"Trust me. All guys think that way. Especially if the girl throws herself at him."

Rei was silent. _"Shinji-kun is indeed attractive. There would be many girls vying for his attention. How can I stand out?" _She thought.

Asuka then looked into her luggage, trying to find something that suits Rei. Her eyes then landed on a black dress (it looked strangely like the one Rei was wearing in Shinji's dream) that she herself had wanted to wear to the dance at the end of the cruise. _"It would suit her exotic looks…but I really want to wear it to impress Kaji!" _

The redhead's eyes unconsciously flitted towards the albino's pathetic wardrobe. _"Then what is she gonna wear?" _Asuka sighed. "I hope I'm not gonna regret this… but here, wear this dress for the dance ok?" Asuka then handed the dress to Rei.

"Thank you Sohryu-chan." Rei took the dress and headed towards the bathroom.

"Oh no no… Asuka said and stopped her. "That dress is for the dance at the end of the cruise!"

Rei reluctantly returned the dress to Asuka. "But you said I should dress up."

"And you should! Just… not this dress." The redhead then reached into her luggage and handed Rei a pink polo tee and floral printed shorts. "Wear this instead. Its less formal."

Rei nodded and took the dress. However just before she reached the toilet, she heard Misato call out, "And after you get washed, we'll put on some make-up!"

Not really knowing what make-up is, Rei merely nodded and closed the door. When she turned and faced the mirror, she was mildly surprised to see her cheeks flushed. _"I am blushing, why is that so?" _

The answer came naturally to her. _"That would be because I like Shinji-kun. The thought of seeing him later excites me."_ She then hurriedly went through the cycles of daily cleansing thinking. _"I should not be wasting time." _

Five minutes after Rei entered the bathroom, she came out dressed and ready to leave. The other two women had other plans however.

"Hey you'll have to put on some make-up first." Misato shouted when she saw Rei heading to the front door.

"But I do not want to delay meeting Shinji-kun any longer." Rei replied.

"Man, you're desperate." Asuka taunted. "However, putting on make-up would make you look more attractive."

Rei hesitated. The thought to missing a few more minutes with Shinji was irritating but what Asuka said earlier made her a little worried as well_. "NERV has many attractive women, I should be more operationally ready to compete for Shinji-kun's attention." _She finally decided and sat down again.

The room's other two women smiled devilishly at the albino. It was not everyday that they get to experiment 'dolling' up someone that would not offer any resistance to whatever they were trying to do. Asuka dived for the mascara while Misato took the lipstick. "Its gonna be great!" they assured Rei.

Fifteen minutes later, the two women decided that they should go light on the make-up. The person staring back at them from the mirror looked like a ghost. The sight was not improved by the slight scowl that she was sporting. "I do not think this makes me look attractive." The 'ghost' replied.

"Point taken." Asuka muttered and proceeded to remove her make-up.

The redhead still could not believe that the Commander's doll had changed so much. She remembered a time when Rei would not even have eye contact with other people and now, she was sitting in front of a mirror waiting for the German to apply a second round of make-up.

"Hey, I have a love indicator test you know?" Asuka blurted out unexpectedly.

Rei stared at her questioningly. "Explain."

"Ok it goes like this – Visualise the person you like, well in your case, it would be Shinji. Done?" Asuka asked the albino.

"Yes."

"Good. Now think which of these four foods would be best associated with him. Curry, steamboat, sushi or hamburger."

Rei was confused. "I do not see how this will indicate how much I like Shinji."

"Just try it!" Asuka insisted.

Rei pursed her lips but said nothing._ "Shinji-kun is a Japanese and therefore sushi should suit him best." _Rei thought and was about to answer when another thought entered her mind. _"He gives flavour to my bland life, the way the filling would enhance the flavour of a hamburger."_

Finally, she answered. "Hamburger."

Asuka gave a slight whoop and hugged the shocked albino. "You know what? Hamburger indicates that you really like the person and the only reason you two are not an item now is because you haven't asked each other out!"

"Is that really so?" Rei asked, a slight smile appearing on her face. "What about the other choices?"

"Well, curry indicates that there is a 40 chance of you two being together, steamboat is 70 while sushi means that you two would never be together." Asuka replied.

Rei's smile became wider at that. "Hurry, we should ask Shinji this question as well."

Misato nodded. "Lets go! We would not want to keep lover girl here waiting do we?"

"No we do not. Lets go!" Asuka said happily.

As the three women left the room, Rei could not help but think, _"It's a good thing I did not associate Shinji-kun with sushi."

* * *

_

Shinji and Touji were enjoying a quiet meal in the presence of hundreds of beautiful girls and a romantic ambience. The actions of the two boys proved how much they were enjoying themselves. Touji was wolfing down the fifth helping of his American breakfast while Shinji just stared at the entrance of the restaurant. Actually, only Touji seemed to be enjoying himself. Suddenly, the light-hearted atmosphere was interrupted by a redhead screaming, "SHINJI! TOUJI! WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU!"

Touji choked on his sausage.

"We're here." Shinji stood up, trying to ignore the irritated stares from the other passengers. "Honestly Asuka, you didn't need to shout."

"Well, it's faster this way." The redhead replied curtly.

Rei tentatively took a seat next to Shinji. "Good morning Shinji-kun."

"Good morning Rei-chan." The boy replied with a flushed face.

"I have something I want to ask you." The girl said, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"Don't you want to have breakfast first?" Shinji asked. Actually, he thought Rei was going to ask about how he felt for her. While he was more than happy to confess, he wanted to do so in private and not in front of almost the whole of NERV.

"No. This question is important," she replied.

"Um… ok." The boy said weakly. _"She does not even give me the chance to run away." _He thought bemusedly.

"Think of someone you like, and think which of these four foods is best associated with that person. Curry, steamboat, sushi or hamburger." Rei said in a monotone.

"What?"

"Would you like Sohryu to explain it to you?" Rei asked.

"Nn…no. The question just caught me off guard that all." Shinji replied.

"What is you answer to the question then?' Rei asked. However, her facial expressions changed to one of hopeful anticipation, although not many people can tell the difference.

"I well… uh…" Shinji could not think properly. He was slightly disappointed that Rei did not ask him about his feelings but this ridiculous question was totally unexpected. The fact that Asuka and Misato were watching him eagerly did not help his nerves much. He glanced at Touji who was eating a hamburger. "Um… um… hamburger?"

Rei broke out into the biggest smile that he'd ever seen from her. She hugged him tightly and said, "You're my hamburger as well Shinji-kun."

"What?"

"According to Sohryu, choosing hamburger means that you like the person extremely much and would most likely be in a relationship with the person given the correct circumstances." Rei answered him and hugged him again. "I chose hamburger as well."

The timid boy smiled as he returned her hug. _"Wow… lucky Touji was eating a hamburger." _He thought.

Out loud, he said, "So I suppose we are an item now Rei-chan?"

The girl tightened her hug, making the boy feel slightly aroused by this open show of affection. "Yes we are."

Shinji breathed deeply, feeling his lungs with her sweet scent. _"I'll never look at hamburgers the same again." _

**TO BE CONTINUED**

I'll probably make a part 2 for this chapter since its still morning on board the cruise.

And I would like to say that the love indicator test is real. I found it in some obscure website that I cannot remember. Try it sometimes, although from experience, I can safely say that it is not always accurate.

Lastly please review!


	5. Day 2 part 2

Disclaimer 

I do not own Evangelion or any copyrighted material that may appear in this story.

Ok, I think that the previous chapter is a tad unfinished. Lets carry on where we left off ok?

To be honest, I have run out of funny situations the two lovebirds can be in and yet still make this a romance story. So I'll just stick to mushy stuff this chapter. Prepare the insulin!

So without further ado, I present to you

**Winning Her Heart In 7 Days**

The Cruise – Day 2 (part 2) 

For the first time in their lives, Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami felt content. Right there and then, they felt that nothing could trouble them or take away their happiness. As long as their other half was there, they could take whatever life throws at them.

That was really something considering what the two had gone through.

"Shinji-kun, what do couples our age usually do?" Rei asked the boy sitting next to her.

I uh… don't really know." The boy replied hesitantly. "I never had a girlfriend before."

Rei nodded and rested her head on Shinji's shoulders. "But if that's the case, how can we progress from here?"

"Relationships do not work like that Rei-chan. It is more of… experimenting with what we like to do together and stuff." The boy replied. Then looking tentative, he asked. "Um Rei-chan?"

"Yes?"

"What do you like to do?"

Rei contemplated the question for a moment before answering with a hint of sadness, "Nothing."

Shinji was taken aback. "Surely there is something you like to do right? Like reading or watching TV."

"I do not enjoy any of the above mentioned activities Shinji-kun." The albino replied in her usual manner. "But I believe I enjoy what we are doing now."

"You mean talking?" Shinji asked.

Rei nodded her head. "Yes. But only with you."

That simple phrase made the timid boy's heart skip a beat and gave his confidencea much-needed boost. Plucking up his courage, he asked shyly. "Can I hold you closer Rei-chan?"

"Yes you may," she replied with a slight quiver in her normally monotonous voice.

Almost immediately, she felt his hands encircling her waist and pulled her closer to him. Rei could not help but think _"I have seen boys in school taking advantage of their girlfriends when they are in this position but Shinji-kun behaves like a perfect gentleman." _The albino closed her eyes and just concentrated on the moment. _"Thank you Shinji-kun, for loving someone as unworthy as me."_

Ironically, the boy was thinking along similar lines. _"Thank you Rei-chan, for loving a coward like me."_

However, they felt complete nonetheless.

* * *

Elsewhere onboard the cruise, a poor man was avoiding two very destructive, volatile and unstable women. He had known the both of them long enough to know that the rejected party would eventually cause him a lot of pain, mostly between the groin while the one he accepts would give him a lot of enjoyment; around the groin area as well. Right now, he was still unable to decide upon which one. 

"Mr Kaji, where are you?" Asuka said in a singsong voice. "Come out come out wherever you are!"

Misato opted for a more direct approach. "Ryoji! Wanna come out and play with Misa-chan?"

"_Man, why do I attract only the dangerous women?" _The poor spy thought dejectedly. He was hiding inside a lifeboat while others were out on deck enjoying the sun and the sea breeze.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming towards his direction. _"Please don't let it be Misato or Asuka, please don't let it be Misato or Asuka." _He recited to himself. The footsteps got steadily louder and louder while the poor spy just huddled into a tighter ball_. "Funny, I was never so afraid even when I was spying for the government." _He thought to himself. To his relief, the footsteps travelled over his location without missing a step. Thinking that the coast was clear, he chanced a peek.

"Mr Kaji! What are you doing here?" Shinji asked the spy inside the lifeboat when he saw his head poking out from it. Rei just observed him with polite interest

"Um… I'm just checking for leaks. Heh, you know the old saying, better be safe than sorry." The spy said sheepishly.

"Agent Kaji, you should be meeting up with the Major and Sohryu-chan. They have been causing a ruckus looking for you." Rei spoke up uncharacteristically.

"NO!" Kaji shouted in panic. _"Oh shit, I should not have shouted!"_

From behind their location, the spy could hear a voice saying, "That sounded like Mr Kaji!"

Blindly, he ran towards the exit at the far end of the corridor, thinking, _"If I run fast enough, I might just make it out alive." _Sadly for him, as he neared the exit, he saw a familiar redhead waiting for him with folded arms.

"I have been searching for you everywhere Mr Kaji. Where have you been?" She said huffily.

He turned and ran in the opposite direction, heading towards the other exit of the accursed corridor. As he passed Shinji and Rei again, the boy could not help but ask, "Why are you running Mr Kaji?"

The spy ignored him. His life was at stake here.

Finally, he was nearing the other exit. _"Freedom!"_ The spy thought happily. _"Sorry Asuka but I still cannot make up my mind on who to choose…" _That line of thought was quickly cut short when Misato appeared in the other exit.

"Oh shit!"

"Ryoji-kun!" Misato shouted happily. "I have given it a lot of thought. If even Rei can find her happiness, I can find mine as well."

Behind, the spy could hear Asuka's footsteps approaching their location. "Mr Kaji! Are you feeling unwell? You look pale…" her voice trailed off when she spotted Misato. "You!"

"Yes me. For your information, I was dating Ryoji-kun way before you were born." Misato replied the redhead. Even though they were like family, Misato was not about to give up her happiness just like that. After all, all's fair in love and war.

Asuka folded her arms and glared at the spy. "Well, I guess you would have to choose between us don't you?"

"Choose?" Kaji said weakly. "I…"

"Agent Kaji should not be choosing only between the both of you." A soft voice could be heard from behind Asuka. "He was being intimate with at least four other NERV employees. They should have a sporting chance as well."

"WHAT?" Misato and Asuka stared at the person in question. "FOUR OTHERS?" They stared to move in towards his position menacingly.

The poor spy turned a pallid shade of blue and proceeded to faint. Eliciting gasps of surprise from the two women.

"You want to kill him?" Misato said to Asuka once they got over their shock.

"No. Castrating him would be a better choice." The redhead replied and proceeded to lug Kaji's motionless body towards the nearest exit.

"Shinji-kun? We should also be on our way. The acting Commander and Sohryu-chan can sort out this situation alone." The same soft voice said to her boyfriend.

Shinji nodded and followed Rei towards the exit, mouthing a silent apology towards Kaji for what his girlfriend had done.

* * *

"I do not know how to play the games in here." Rei said as Shinji brought her into the ship's arcade. "You would not be enjoying yourself if you have to spend most of your time teaching me how they operate." 

Shinji smiled at his girlfriend. She was as considerate as ever. "Don't be silly. I would like nothing better than to spend time with you. Even if it was to teach you something." He said with conviction.

Rei blushed and gave his hand a little squeeze. "I would like to play that game." She stated and walked towards the shooting games section. "How does it operate?"

Shinji took up the gun that is connected to the machine. "Simple, you just shoot the enemies that appear on the screen using this."

"Just like the simulations during our EVA training?"

"Yep. Come on, we'll play the game together." Shinji said enthusiastically and placed two tokens into the arcade machine. Rei nodded and took up her gun as well.

Five minutes later, they had proceeded to Stage Two without losing even a life. It seemed that their EVA training had indeed paid off. Shinji's attention was starting to wonder when the enemy shot a flashing red bullet towards him (think Time Crisis). Rei's eyes widened to their largest extent as she realised Shinji was in 'mortal' danger.

"Shinji-kun!" She exclaimed and bodily pushed Shinji away from the arcade machine, as if this action would save his virtual self from harm. The both of them tumbled noisily to the floor while curious onlookers just stared at them.

"Oomph!" Shinji gasped in surprise and pain as his girlfriend landed on top of him. "What happened Rei-chan?"

"You were in danger Shinji-kun. I just prevented you from harm." Rei replied matter-of-factly.

The astonished boy could not help but smile. "You are so cute Rei-chan. It was just a game, I won't be hurt."

Rei looked away from his eyes, blushing slightly. "Oh…"

"But I appreciate your concern Rei-chan. Thank you."

Rei gave her boyfriend another of those rare smiles that he treasured so much. "You're welcome." She then decided to rest her head on his chest, wanting nothing but to hear his heart beat, even though they were receiving stares from the other NERV employees.

"Uh Rei?" Shinji stammered.

"Yes?"

"We are in public."

Rei looked up at him. "But I have read that lovers should not be concerned about the opinions of other people."

Having nothing more convincing to argue with her, Shinji conceded and returned his girlfriend's embrace. "I really love you Rei-chan."

The girl flushed an even deeper shade of red. "I… love you a lot too."

Right there and then, no one in the world would argue that they not made for each other.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

Sorry for such a short chapter but I really cannot think of anything more at this point.

Some interesting things to note: Kaji and Asuka would make a really good couple don't you think? Pity he's too old for her. Maybe given a few years, they could be together. hint hint

I'm feeling guilty to you guys… ah heck, here's an omake as a token of my apology for such a short chapter.

OMAKE

"Kaji-kun!" Misato finally managed to corner the hapless spy. "Why are you running from me?"

"I uh… just want to spend some time alone."

"I just wanna ask you a question." The ravishing Major countered. "Think of me and decide which food would be best associated with me. Sushi, curry, steamboat or hamburger."

"_What a weird question…"_ Kaji thought. "Sushi, steamboat, curry or hamburger?"

"Yes."

"_I would like to eat your sushi. Then make you so hot until you steam like a steamboat. Spray my curry all over you and finally be the filling in a Misato Asuka hamburger." _The perverted man thought.

Out loud, he said, "Um… curry?"

Misato looked slightly disappointed. _"Well, I'll take the forty percent chance." _She thought and pounced on him like a predator.

For the next 2 hours, Kaji got what he wished for. Except the part about being the filling for a hamburger.


	6. Day 3

Disclaimer

All characters and Evangelions belong to Gainax. And I'm typing this to waste space so that my story will look longer.

After a long absence, here is the next chapter!

More space wasting

Even more space wasting

You getting sick of this aren't you?

So without further ado, I present to you

**Winning Her Heart In 7 Days**

The Cruise – Day 3

"Urrrg…" Kaji groaned when he regained consciousness. "Where the hell am I?"

The former spy tried to determine his location but that small nugget of information stubbornly refused to surface. He then tried a glance around the room but his vision was still blurry.

"_What have I gotten myself into this time?" _

Then it hit him.

Asuka! Misato! Accusations of infidelity!

Given a choice, he would rather take on the whole of NERV and SEELE than be cornered by these two women. At least he stood a fighting chance with the two organizations.

"_But there is still hope right?"_ Kaji thought. _"After all, I fainted during the confrontation. Maybe this is the medical ward."_

A faint stirring could be heard in the background. "_Ah, maybe a cute nurse is here to check on my status."_ Kaji hoped.

The poor guy was right to a certain extent. He WAS in a hospital ward. But life had a funny way of making us miserable.

"Misato wake up! Mr. Kaji's awake!"

"_Oh shit!" _

Misato gave a huge yawn as she awoke. "Rea…really?" Then as she reached full consciousness, she quickly rounded the distance between her chair and Kaji's bed. "You have a lot of explaining to do mister." The Major deadpanned.

Kaji was sweating buckets by then. "I uh… you said so in the past that you didn't love me so I thought…"

He was cut off by a slap from Misato.

"You men are so insensitive! Once you're single you take it as if it's a ticket to fool around." Then drawing a shuddering breathe she delivered her main point. "Don't you know how much you'd hurt the people who love you?"

Kaji's mouth dropped in awe when he heard these words. "Mi… Misato-chan, I… never knew."

Misato gave him an icy look. "Given our past, could I have told you this?"

"You could have. Who cares about pride anyways?" Kaji argued, earning him another slap.

"It's not always about you Ryoji." Misato said coolly. "Besides, I have tender feelings for other people as well."

Kaji rubbed his sore cheek while replying, "Bullshit. If you do, why are you still single after all these years?"

To his surprise, Misato actually blushed. "I uh… rather not talk about it."

Even Asuka was curious now. "Come on Misato! Tell us!"

Finally, the urge to publicly humiliate Kaji won over her embarrassment. She leaned towards Kaji's ear and whispered, "I find Shinji manlier than you could ever be." As Kaji's eyes widened, she continued, "He's better looking in a boyish way as well. Don't tell Asuka ok?" She ended off mischievously.

"Tell me what?" Asuka demanded.

"Oh it's nothing, right Kaji-kun?"

However, the spy was too far gone into his own world to hear another word she said. All that reverberated around his head was, "Curse you Shinji Ikari!"

* * *

On the deck of the ship, Shinji sneezed.

Rei looked at her boyfriend, concerned. "Are you feeling cold Shinji-kun?' She had earlier decided that Shinji's idea of getting a suntan was a bad one. Not only was she uncomfortable with being under the sun, the thought of Shinji being half naked under the watchful eyes of hundreds of attractive females made her uncomfortable as well.

"I'm ok Rei-chan; someone must have been scolding me." He joked.

Rei was unconvinced. She decided to check personally to see if he was ok. "I would not be at ease until I have assessed your health by myself."

Shinji gave a small sigh as he let Rei feel his forehead to check for fever. He knew that once she made up her mind on something, nothing short of an Angel attack would stop her; and the Angels were no more.

Finally, Rei decided that Shinji's slightly higher temperature was due to him being under the sun for more than an hour. As she proceeded to stand up and head for the shade of her beach umbrella, she felt a pair of strong hands pinning her down.

"Rei-chan, I'd like to hold you for awhile."

The albino blushed at their contact. "Shinji-kun, you are very bold today." Nevertheless, she did not try to break away from his affectionate embrace.

Shinji also gave a slight blush as he heard her words. "Well, I uh… I just want to be near you and I…"

Rei cut him off with a tender kiss. "I understand. I do not blame you."

The boy just stared stupidly at his girlfriend, awed by her beauty and understanding. Finally, the only coherent sentence he could come out with was, "That was our second kiss..."

Rei nodded in agreement as she recalled the events leading up to their first real kiss the previous night.

(Flashback)

The restaurant in which dinner was served was perfect. Not only do they make excellent vegetarian food, the ambience was romantic as well.

The quiet couple however, ate their dinner in almost complete silence. With both parties doing nothing more than stealing furtive glances at each other.

Then remainder of the gang appeared. Touji, Asuka and Misato entered the restaurant making a huge commotion and totally destroying the atmosphere.

Even a quiet person like Rei could not help but say to her boyfriend, "I think they should be thrown out of the restaurant."

Touji was the first to spot the quiet couple. "Hey you two! Now that you are together you forget about your friends?"

"Of course not!" Shinji replied feeling slightly offended. "We just love each other so much that we want to spend more time alone that's all."

It was only by looking at Rei's flushed face that Shinji realized that he had said that out loud.

"WOOHOO!" Asuka and Touji whooped. "Someone's getting a backbone!"

The shy couple could only blush as their three 'tormentors' bombarded them with lewd questions.

Finally Misato asked, "So, have you guys kissed yet?"

Shinji started when he heard that statement. He looked at Rei with flushed face. "Um… we haven't yet, unless you count yesterday when she gave me the mouth-to-mouth." The boy said in hope that the three people would leave him and Rei in peace.

No such luck.

"Aha!" Misato said in an exuberant tone. "How about kissing her now?"

"What!" Shinji squeaked in shock.

"Keesiing heerrr…" Misato repeated slowly, teasing the boy. "Rei you'd want him to kiss you right?"

The blue haired girl gave a barely noticeable nod while staring at the floor with her cheeks fiercely red.

Shinji could not refuse his girlfriend and so finally relented. However…

"Rei-chan lets do this somewhere more private." He said in a moment of inspiration.

The girl in question eagerly nodded her head and took Shinji's hand as he led her on deck, ignoring their three 'tormentors' cries of dismay at not being able to witness this tender moment.

The kiss itself was tame as most first kisses are. Shinji merely leaned forward and touched his lips towards his girlfriend's. However, to Rei, it was breathtaking. When they broke off just seconds later, she felt her heat palpitating and her breathing labored.

"_My body is acting as if it had just endured a rigorous workout." _The girl thought_. "But everything about this action felt right."_

Shinji seemed to sense her thought and held her lightly. "It's normal to feel nervous Rei-chan."

Rei nodded and rested her head against his chest. "I will get used to it soon."

(Present time)

"Rei-chan, are you ok?" Shinji asked when he saw his girlfriend staring off into space.

"I'm fine." She replied simply. Shinji thought that she was getting impatient and wanted to return to the shade of her umbrella and therefore proceeded to break the embrace. To his surprise, Rei turned and snuggled deeper into his embrace.

The boy of course, could not help but feel aroused since he had a beautiful girl in a one-piece swimming costume snuggled up to him in the most intimate way possible. Some of his blood inadvertently got diverted to the lower regions of his body, giving the girl that was in his arms a most unexpected poke.

"Shinji-kun, you are hurting me." Rei said after a few seconds.

"Um… I'm sorry I'll just move into a more comfortable position." Shinji replied guiltily.

The two teens then let sleep overcome them after Shinji positioned his groin area slightly further away from Rei, ignoring the looks of the other passengers onboard the cruise.

* * *

(Evening)

A very sun burnt Rei Ayanami and Shinji Ikari entered the restaurant for dinner, earning the taunting of Misato and company.

"I heard someone slept together just now… care to elaborate?" Misato asked.

"Not only that! I heard they acted _VERY_ intimately." Touji added.

Asuka grinned at the blushing couple, whose sun burnt skin made them look even more bashful than usual, and said, "Good job you guys! I knew you would do it sooner or later!"

"We did not do it!" Shinji argued weakly. "We just fell asleep under the sun. You shouldn't believe in these rumors!"

Misato opened her mouth to retort when Rei suddenly spoke up. "Shinji-kun and I are very hungry. If we are unable to eat in peace over here, we could always order room service."

"Well… I… ok then." Misato finished lamely. Inwardly, she vowed never to get on Rei's bad side.

The night passed relatively peacefully for the quiet couple, with Asuka and Touji's occasional bickering interrupting the otherwise tranquil atmosphere. However, they would not want to have it any other way.

When it was finally time to get to bed, Shinji unwillingly walked Rei back to her room.

"Goodnight Rei-chan..." He said as he shuffled his feet. He did not want to part with her even for a second. But he knew that he had no choice.

"Goodnight Shinji-kun." Rei replied. As she saw Shinji turning to leave, she suddenly called out. "You have not done the last requirement for a date!"

Surprised, Shinji asked, "What's that?"

"A goodnight kiss."

"Oh yeah, silly me." Shinji laughed. He then leaned forward to give Rei a peck on the lips when he was suddenly pulled into a deep kiss.

When they finally broke the kiss, Rei thought, "_Asuka's advice was right."_

Out loud however, she simply said, "That was nice Shinji-kun. See you tomorrow."

The boy nodded happily.

"_Kiss number three was the best so far."_ The both of them thought as Rei reluctantly closed the door.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

Another short chapter but hey, I just came out of the army and have no more ideas at this moment. Let's pray hard that I'll be able to update soon yeah?

Please read and review! Thanks!


End file.
